Su Qinglan snorted under her breath, shaking her head as she continued deeper into the forest. "Honestly," she grumbled, "I don’t know who’s going to kill me first...the beastmen, the beasts, or my idiot system."
Su Qinglan slowed down a little. Her heart was finally calming, but she still felt tense from the run. After a few deep breaths, she spoke again in her mind, her tone softer this time.
"Alright, fine. No more yelling. But first things first...can you check on my babies? Are they alright?"
Xuyu instantly perked up, sounding much more confident now. "Don’t worry, Host! The babies are perfectly fine. They are strong! And most importantly, if they are ever in danger, the system has already activated a protection protocol."
Su Qinglan frowned slightly. "Protection protocol?"
"Yes!" Xuyu said proudly. "It’s like a safety shield. If something ever threatens their lives, the system will automatically protect them. No harm will come to them at all. Even if Xuyu is offline or updating again, the protection will still work on its own!"
Su Qinglan’s eyes widened. "Wait, there’s actually something like that?"
"Yes, Host! It’s a permanent safety feature for the babies!"
Her expression softened at once, and for the first time since falling off that cliff, she finally found something good. "Well, finally, something good about you," she said with a relieved sigh. "At least the babies have proper protection."
She walked a few more steps, her tone turning playful as a sly grin crept across her face.
"But, say, Xuyu... If you can give the babies that kind of safety shield, why not give one to me too? I mean, come on...if the host is alive, healthy, and not half-dead in a forest, wouldn’t that help your reputation? You could tell all the other systems you have a very ’market-competitive’ host-care feature."
Xuyu made a sound that could only be described as an electronic eye-roll. "Host, you already have that feature."
Su Qinglan blinked. "I do?"
"Yes!" Xuyu replied proudly. "Once you formed a bond with the system, an emergency safety function was installed. If you ever face a real life-threatening situation, the system will automatically teleport you to a safe location before anything fatal happens."
Su Qinglan stopped in her tracks, staring into the distance with wide eyes. "So, you’re saying... I have a teleport function that could’ve saved me from getting kidnapped, thrown off a cliff, and nearly eaten by a snake?"
Xuyu went silent for a moment, sounding awkward. "...Technically, yes. But it only activates when your life is really in danger. Not just when you’re almost dead."
Su Qinglan sighed and rubbed her temples again. "Wonderful. So basically, I have a safety function that waits until I’m a breath away from being a corpse."
"Host, it’s advanced technology!" Xuyu protested quickly. "It activates at the perfect time for maximum efficiency!"
Su Qinglan chuckled under her breath, half amused, half exasperated. "Yeah, sure. ’Maximum efficiency,’ my ass. Next time, let’s trigger it a bit earlier, alright?"
"Exactly!" Xuyu chirped. "No beast will dare approach while it is still here."
Su Qinglan let out a small laugh, shaking her head. "Well, I’ll be damned. Whoever said that the safest place in the world is the home of a dangerous beast was absolutely right."
She looked around at the dark, quiet forest. It was eerie, yes, but oddly peaceful. "So this is it," she muttered. "The safest spot just happens to be the lair of the very creature I was sitting on."
Her lips twisted into a tired grin. "Perfect. I’ll just make sure I don’t wake up the landlord."
"Host, do you want me to find you a specific place to rest?" Xuyu asked hopefully.
"Yes, please," Su Qinglan sighed. "Find me somewhere nearby. Somewhere the snake wouldn’t bother going, but close enough that I can hide easily. I just need a quiet corner to breathe."
"Got it!" Xuyu said with sudden cheer. "Host, head toward the right...about a hundred meters away, there’s a small cave. It looks unused and hidden behind thick roots. The giant snake definitely won’t use it, because it’s too small for its body."
Su Qinglan’s eyes lit up instantly. "A cave? Perfect. Lead the way."
"Follow the path with the blue moss on the rocks," Xuyu instructed. "It’ll take you straight there."

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